Thoughts on my best option for going out of town?

[Samara87]

I’m going out of town for a convention July 1-5. Everyone in the house will be going, and I’m not sure what to do with my rabbit. My friend Hayley said as a last resort she would stay at my house and watch him. But 5 days is a pretty long commitment, and she doesn’t know much about rabbits. Another option is a friend of my boyfriend’s family has rabbits that they take to shows, and they told me they could take him, but he would be out in the barn with all of the other rabbits. I need to get some more information from her first. I’m assuming they have something that they do to deal with the heat in the summer. But the whole family knows rabbits really well. I just don’t like the idea of dropping him off with strangers (to him). The third option is the vet. It’s only $10 a day, but I would need to supply a cage, and I only have the super tiny one we got for him when he was a baby. And I don’t want to make him stay in there for five days. I would love to take him along to the hotel, but since I don’t have a big portable cage or an xpen, that idea is out. I’m not sure what the best option looks like. Any suggestions? 

[PoppyBunny]

I’d suggest having a friend watch your rabbit. The vet could be too scary for your rabbit. Maybe even go with the friend who doesn’t know much, if the rabbit will be staying inside. If your rabbit is used to staying inside I think this will be better. Even if he doesnt get to play much, he will probably be happier staying where it is quiet and cool.

[tobyluv]

It seems like the best thing would be for your friend to stay at your house and watch him. Give her a crash course in all the aspects of bunny care, and let her come over beforehand to see how you prepare salads and how much hay and pellets he gets. She could also get down and pet your bunny, feed him some treats, etc. so that he would be familiar with her. You could even bag up each day’s salad for him right before you leave, to make it easier on your friend. She would need to have your vet’s phone number and any other numbers that are important.

[JackRabbit]

I’m with tobyluv. Give your friend a list of things to keep an eye on (how much he eats, poops, drinks, explain about bunny pain positions and tooth grinding). You can check in with your friend daily, and maybe even have her email or text pics and video so you can see for yourself how he’s doing.

[LoveChaCha]

I also agree with TobyLuv. Educating a friend on rabbits is easy Let her know what to lookout for and such. If you educate her, she may educate someone else on rabbits

[Canada_bun]

I’m with tobyluv, too! Another idea might be to scout your local ads website (craiglist? kijiji? I’ve no clue beyond that) for pet sitters who are willing to come to your house a few hours a day to watch your bun. Screen the ads carefully though, make sure the person is familiar with buns, and check up the references most definitely! (I understand there is a privacy and safety concern with that, but perhaps it is worth it for the bun’s comfort)

A vet’s place may be scary unfamiliar for your bun, and stress him out a lot if there are other animals (to find a rabbit-exclusive vet is difficult, imho). Same for the show rabbits people – I’m sure they’re lovely people, but a change from house rabbit/companion animal to show rabbit/barn may be a bit too drastic for your bun.

Whether you decide on having your friend or a pet sitter come over, please make sure you have time to get them acquainted with the bun! and then you can observe their interactions with the bun and decide for yourself, too.

Keep us posted!

[Bam]

I think the friend-option would be the very best and least stressful for your bun. If it is a good friend she probably knows you’ll return the favor when/if she needs your assistance for some reason.

You could tell your friend to use the BB Forums for any questions that may arise, in case you can’t be reached. She may not need it, but it may feel good to know there is online bunny-sitter support to be had.

[Samara87]

We’re going with my friend to come over and watch him. Especially since she spends the night at my house at least once a week, so he’s very familiar with her. Bam, that is a GREAT idea. I’ll be sure to leave my log in info with her, so she will be able to get on for help. Even though she doesnt know much about rabbits, I feel a lot more comfortable knowing someone he feels comfortable around will be watching him in his own home. Thanks for all the input guys

[Flopsie]

since there is some time left, it would a good idea for your friend to come and watch you a bit and then for you to be able to give feedback to your friend for trying it out as well. practice in vivo and feedback after is always ideal

[Samara87]

That’s a good idea too. She already spends so much time here that she interacts with him really well. He lets her pet him, and runs circles around her feet, so he’s very clearly comfortable around her, which is good. I’m going to show her a few things, like how to pick him up if she needs to, getting him into his carrier, etc. Also teach her to listen to his tummy to make sure she knows what to listen for if hes not eating, pooping, or drinking. She’s pretty familiar with his habits though, so I’m sure she’ll notice if hes doing something unusual. I’m going to talk to her and make sure she is aware of certain things, like loud grinding, pushing tummy into floor, etc.

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